Damsel Under Stress - Page 59/124

“Yes, of course. We have to have our own ways of settling legal disputes involving magic,” Mr. Hartwell said.

“Okay, then I’ll look into the legal angle,” Ethan said. “Fighting against evil schemers isn’t my legal specialty, but it’s becoming something of a hobby.”

“While you guys are taking the thinkin’ end of the plan, we’re gonna send a few folk down to stake out the store,” Sam said. “I doubt Idris’ll be working the cash register himself, but you never know who you’ll find popping by. There might be someone worth following. That is, if we can see past their disguise illusions. We probably shouldn’t try simultaneously unveiling everyone in Times Square again.” Owen turned bright red at that and became engrossed in the pattern of wood grain on the conference table.

Merlin nodded. “Very well, then. There isn’t much we can do until we have more information. Tomorrow we’ll send Kim to the store to obtain some samples of their merchandise, which we will then analyze. Based on that analysis we’ll have a better sense of what the scheme seems to be, and we will also know how we should respond, businesswise. Now, I’ve asked you to give up enough of your holiday. Please feel free to enjoy the rest of your day. We will meet again in two days to discuss preliminary results.”

As the meeting broke up, Owen went over to Merlin to talk, and that left me standing face-to-face with Ethan. “How’s it going?” he asked, eliminating my option of pretending not to notice him.

“Pretty good,” I said.

“I hear you and Owen are together now.”

“Yeah.”

“Good. He’s a nice guy. And apparently not into chicks with wings.” He glanced over his shoulder to where Trix’s desk sat empty. “I guess you were right about that, after all.”

It had been one of my better breakup lines, I had to admit. He’d said he thought I was a little too normal for him, and I’d accused him of really wanting to date chicks with wings. The fact that it turned out to be true made it even better. “Well, they do say I’m perceptive. And I’m glad things are working out for you.”

“Thanks. No hard feelings?”

I was rather surprised to realize that there weren’t any. He seemed to belong to another lifetime, even though it wasn’t that long ago. “No hard feelings,” I confirmed.

Owen wrapped up his business with Merlin and joined me. “Ready to go?” he asked.

“Sure. You’re not staying to work?”

He sighed. “What do I have to work with? I’d be tempted to drop by that store and grab a few spells to start with, but he’s probably got the place specifically warded against me.”

“This isn’t something we’re going to fix with a few hours’ work, and I doubt a few hours will make much of a difference.”

“Unfortunately, that’s probably true. However,” he glanced around to make sure none of the stragglers were in earshot, “it might not hurt to walk by that store and see what’s going on.”

“No, it might not.”

“We might just happen to be going to lunch somewhere in that area, and if we pass the store, then we could look through the windows.”

“So, lunch, then?”

He did a great job of looking utterly innocent. “Yes, lunch. Are you free?”

“I’ll have to check my calendar,” I replied with a coy smile.

We got our coats at his lab, then headed out, taking the subway uptown to Times Square. From there, we headed over to Fifth Avenue and walked up a block or so. I spotted the store at the right address across the avenue from us right away. It wasn’t nearly as splashy or impressive as the ads would have had us believe. Instead, it was in a narrow old building that didn’t seem to have seen much remodeling. Then I realized that was the way I saw it. “What does it look like to you?” I asked Owen.

He shrugged. “A store. Too much neon for my taste. The strobe light might not be such a great idea. Just looking at the store gives me a headache.”

“It seems like we’ve found one place he’s cut corners. To me, this isn’t too different from those ten-dollar clothing stores downtown.”

“Maybe we should get a better look,” he suggested, taking my arm and heading toward the nearest crosswalk.

But then I saw someone standing on the other side of the avenue—someone wearing what looked suspiciously like a flamingo-pink 1980s prom dress with her tarnished tiara. I couldn’t see the back of her dress, but I’d have bet a week’s pay that there was a big bow on the butt. Ethelinda waved her wand at me, and I immediately tugged on Owen’s arm. “Let’s get lunch first. Then we can catch the store on our way back.”